ברכת כהנים, כותל המערבי, יום רביעי א' חול המועד סוכות תשפ"ב | Birchas Kohanim, Western Wall, Sukkot
Description
On Wednesday morning, the first traditional mass Priestly Blessing ceremony was held at the Western Wall. Usually held on the third day of the Passover and Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) holidays, this year's event was split into two separate days, the second and third days of the week-long holiday, in order to allow more people to participate despite the coronavirus restrictions. Under the restrictions, 8,000 people are allowed to enter the space at a time. There is no requirement to show proof of vaccination or recovery from coronavirus. The Jerusalem District Police, under the command of District Commander Superintendent Doron Turgeman, prepared for the event, which usually attracts tens of thousands of worshippers, as well as for the other events scheduled to be held in Jerusalem throughout the holiday. Hundreds of Israeli police officers, Border Police officers and volunteers were deployed throughout the city of Jerusalem, with an emphasis on the Old City area and the traffic routes in the area. The police said that checkpoints were set up as part of the police activity, in order to direct the public attempting to reach the Western Wall plaza, in accordance with traffic and the number of participants set by the political echelon. Due to this arrangement, many streets in and around the Old City have been closed to traffic. The public is asked to refrain from traveling to the area of the Old City area during the holidays by private vehicles and to avail themselves of public transportation and the light rail. The police are urging the public to obey the instructions of the police and security guards and to act in accordance with the coronavirus regulations, including wearing a face mask at a gathering or mass prayer event.